Just beginning to plan my trip. My experience includes: Kili, Orizaba (solo), Mt. Blanc, Rainier, Whitney, Shasta, Adams.

Haven't arranged a guide yet -- is anyone else going during this time frame? Any rec's on guides?

GEAR

I'm working off of RMI's list and already have most of what I need:

http://www.rmiguides.com/international/ ... #equipment

Future mountains could include: Denali, Elbrus, Vinson, and maybe Himalaya (i.e., Island Peak, trekking), so trying to make choices with this in mind. Also, I can get good deals on all MH gear so generally tend to favor it. A few gear questions:

Gloves: I posted this question in the gear forum, already saw that someone is recommending the BD Patrol (which I can get also get for a good price) over the MH Hydra or Medusa.

http://www.summitpost.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=49317

Sleeping Pad system: Sounds like the following combo is the way to go: Therm-A-Rest Prolite Plus (1lb 8 oz) + ThermaRest Z-Lite (14 oz)

I was wondering if I could save some weight with the Therm-A-Rest NeoAir + Z-Lite, but have read concerns about durability of the NeoAir vs. the Prolite. Or another idea was take just the Exped Downmat which would save weight and space, but if something goes wrong with it I have no fail safe Z-Lite as a backup. Thoughts?

Pants: Wondering if something like the MH Compressor Pant would be a good idea to go with what I already have:

-Capilene 1 bottoms base layer
-Polartec fleece layer
-MH Makalu Pant (soft shell)
-MH Aragon Ice Pant (rain/wind shell)

Would the MH Compressor pant be overkill?

Boots: Per RMI's rec, I was also planning to also bring a light trail hiking shoe and my Zamberlan Vioz GT Hiking Boots. For the summit, it sounds like there is a consensus that the Spantiks are the way to go, especially given my future itin. Are the Spantiks going to get absolutely thrashed on Aconcagua? Any way to prevent this? Was curious about the Baruntses but it sounds like these won't be adequate for Denali. Could I spare the Spantiks the punishment by wearing the Zamberlan's through lower elevation heavy scree/talus? Or do they take a beating on the upper part of the mountain anyway? Also three sets of footwear is a heavy load to be hauling. Are all three pair really the way to go?

I used my light hikers to the Plaza and left them there and went up to the high camps with my plastics to save weight. Two pairs of footwear for the mountain.

A big tip here. Mark everything with a marker that you can see R (Right) and L (Left). Sounds brainless but whacked out in the dark, 50 below zero at 6000 meters, in a tight tent with a sick tentmate, trying to shove down food and water, gasping for air, you can have serious problems getting the correct boot liners into the correct shells.

You'll be spending around 7 nights in the two Base Camps to get acclimatized so you'll want to be comfortable. I like both the foam pad and the four season Thermarest in combo. A nice combination I repeated in thirteen tent nights in August. Remember, you can carry extra stuff to the Plaza and leave it there. Like extra camera clothes, books.

The days are really long there this time of year. Gets light like 5 amish and dark around 10. You'l be climbing probably about 5 - 6 hours most days so you'll need plenty of entertainment. Trading a middle pair of hikers for a couple of books is worth it IMO.

When you're in direct sun in the mountains, in the tent, it can get downright pleasant. The sun leaves and it can drop 50 degrees like a shot.

I wasn't happy with my OR mittens. First and second degree frostbite. Also, use googles without a back clip so they won't fall off.

Which route are you doing? If you want to stick with MH. Here are some of the MH stuff I saw on the mountain (my partner uses MH mostly). We did the False Polish Traverse, so no technical gears needed other than crampons.

Gloves:
I used BD Mercury mitts, they kept my hands warm during the dark hours of summit day and it was COOLD. I think MH has the Absolute Zero mitts, a bit overkill but I would hate to lose digits. Remember, hand-warmers don't work well at that altitude. Before the summit day, I used normal ski gloves and glove liners most of the way.

Sleeping Pad:
Carry them both. I used z-lite + thermal mat. I like my beauty sleep. Aconcagua camps are mostly on rocks and dirt, so it's not as cold as snow. You don't have to carry both but it's nice to sleep well.

Pants:
I wore North Face Convertible for the hike in to base camp. Then switch to Patagonia Winter Guide pants. I also carry a capilene 1 long bottom, but never used it. My legs are usually warm, especially when I'm on the move. My partner wore something similar to base camp trek. I think he switched to MH Syncho softshell pants. I don't think he carried any insulated pants. He did carry MH long bottom as well, not sure if he used it or not. None of us carry hardshells.

Boots:
I wore my heavy duty backpacking boots. I saw tennis shoes, trail runners, and everything in between for the hike in. My partner wore a pair of normal hiking shoes, he told me after that, he REALLY REALLY wished he has his backpacking shoes. The trek in involves ground with a lot of loose pebble and ankle twisting rocks. We then switched to plastics from basecamp and on, we both used Inverno. They worked out very well. I noticed Spantiks and Scarpa (6000m?) are the two most popular brands. Americans wear Spantiks, and Europeans wear Scarpa. I think most doubles will handle Aconcagua well, including the Baruntses.

Go Slow and Good Luck!

If you send me an email at admin@adventureclimbing.ca I can send you a gear list that includes a breakdown of what clothing and gear I take to each camp and their weights.

divnamite wrote:Which route are you doing? Go Slow and Good Luck!

Thanks. Not sure which route yet or the dates. Appreciate your, Brad's and other's thoughts.

Gear questions I'd love to hear some additional thoughts on:

-which technical glove? (I'll have the MH Absolute zero mits for when it gets cold). Is the Black Diamond patrol glove a good choice for Aconcagua and future 6-7K mountains?

-are the Vasque Radiators the right boot? At $291 and few ounces lighter they seem like a deal compared to the Spantiks.

-I was planning to use the MH BMG pack. i can strip it down a bit for the summit day, but that still seems like a lot of pack to be hauling all the way to the top. Is there a better way?

I have a lightweight pack with no internal frame that is more like a stuff sack with straps. I use it on leaving behind stuff on carries and then as a summit pack. Just need water, snacks and extra gloves and of course camera. That works for me. Weighs nothing. Cheers William

Skip the hiking boots. Approach shoes or trail runners to base camp then plastics to the summit. And, yes, they are going to get beat up. Aconcagua is a dirty, dusty rock pile.

Realizing that it is weather dependent, you should be able to wear low-cut hikers/approach shoes all the way to a high camp. We wore ours up to camp at the base of the Polish glacier last year (~5900m). You have to be comfortable with your level of ability to cross minor snowfields while chopping steps if need be. This was along the Vacas valley route and above Plaza Argentina.

Of course if a storm moves in for several days like last year, you might get stymied if you carried and dropped your boots up high. The point of this is to say that the trail really isn't all that bad, provided it isn't totally covered in snow/ice. Use your best judgment as you start to move above base camp. And yeah, Aconcagua is a giant heap o' dirt - it'll get over and into everything.